Archetype is a personal blog & photo album management system. It will make having a web journal (weblog or blog) and photo album easier to have and maintain for anyone.
Changes Since Beta 3:
We currently expect a release around 7/22/2004, but that depends on the results of this final test version.
All testers will receive a 20% discount on the final version!
Download: Archetype: Release Candidate 1
Screenshot: >> Click here <<
View: ThinkIST Website
This is BETA software!, please use caution when installing it on your system
Changes Since Beta 3:
- New (and Final) application template.
- Ability to view license status information.
- Ability to retrieve license information from IST servers on install (for manual and installer installs alike).
- Photo Album Index displays random images from inside its photo albums.
- No more default control panel login!
- Many, Many Bug Fixes and Enhancements!
We currently expect a release around 7/22/2004, but that depends on the results of this final test version.
All testers will receive a 20% discount on the final version!
Ongoing Commitment to Address Security
Security is a top priority for Microsoft, and the company’s commitment to improving security and working with partners to help them secure their infrastructures is an ongoing effort, Nash noted. Further details on the progress and commitments that were highlighted include the following:
- Improvments in providing greater isolation and resilience to systems to improve their ability to mitigate the impact of malicious code will include the forthcoming availability of Microsoft Windows XP Service Pack 2. This has been provisionally scheduled for launch in August, and includes innovations to provide safer browsing, stronger default security settings, and the automatic installation of new security features to better protect customers and their computers from hackers, viruses and other security risks. Nash also discussed ISA Server 2004, Microsoft’s next-generation application firewall, virtual private network and Web cache solution. In addition, Nash discussed Network Access Protection technologies, Microsoft’s strategy for more secure access to networks that will provide network policy validation, network isolation and network policy compliance.
- Improvements in security update tools and processes, highlighting the more streamlined process of issuing security updates monthly to make the process more manageable for customers. This has led, in part, to a 400 per cent growth in the use of Windows Automatic Update over the past 10 months and approximately 112,000 servers connecting to Microsoft to check for content per day using Software Update Services.
- Expanded authorisation, authentication and access control, with the endorsement of Microsoft’s Windows Rights Management Services from EDS, GigaTrust and Liquid Machines Inc.
- Quality improvements through engineering excellence, referencing the 69 per cent reduction in critical and important bulletins issued for Windows Server 2003 relative to Windows 2000 Server in the initial year following their respective releases.
- Global customer guidance and engagement to help build security best practices among consumers and businesses. It was also confirmed that in the past 10 months Microsoft has provided security training to more than 510,000 IT professionals, including approximately 140,000 industry partners. Nash also thanked partners for their diligent efforts to help customers achieve a more secure infrastructure and encouraged them to participate in Microsoft’s Security Solutions Competency Programme. More information about the security solutions competency can be found at http://members.microsoft.com/partner/progr...ysolutions.aspx.
Nash announced immediate availability of ISA Server 2004, an advanced application layer firewall, VPN and Web cache solution enabling customers to easily maximise existing IT investments by improving network security and performance. Nash also noted significant partner momentum around ISA Server 2004. Ten solutions providers, Cloudmark, FilterLogix, Forum Systems Inc., GFI Software Ltd., McAfee, Inc., Panda Software, Rainfinity, RSA Security Inc., SurfControl plc and WebSpy Ltd., today announced supporting products. In addition, HP today became the first company to announce that customers can now order a hardware-based solution — the HP ProLiant DL320 Firewall/VPN/Cache Server running ISA Server 2004. Several other partners have announced plans to deliver hardware solutions based on ISA Server 2004, including Celestix Networks, Network Engines Inc., Pyramid Computer, RimApp Technologies and Wortmann AG. More information about ISA Server 2004 can be found at http://www.microsoft.com/isaserver/.
Network Access Protection to Be Available in Windows Server 2003 Update
Nash also outlined broad industry support for Network Access Protection technologies from Microsoft, a solution based on an open, standards-based architecture to allow customers to more securely access their corporate network through network policy validation, restriction and policy compliance. Available in an update release of Windows Server 2003, code-named “R2,” Network Access Protection also provides system administrators with the ability to monitor and control computer access based on compliance policies for accessing the network.
Yesterday, 25 industry leaders in anti-virus software, patch management and systems management announced they are working together with Microsoft on Network Access Protection technologies to deliver end-to-end solutions for customers. Customers that require VPN inspection today should use tools for Windows Server 2003 and ISA Server 2004. In the future, Network Access Protection technologies will offer an extensible solution for partners and customers including functionality beyond VPN client inspection.
Continued Security Progress to Help Customers
As part of Microsoft’s commitment to provide authoritative information and guidance on security issues to all customers, the company in January began to release threat cleaner tools for known viruses and worms. To help deliver a better user experience, reduce unnecessary traffic on the Internet’s backbone and remove common threads of worms from machines, Microsoft released cleaner tools for Blaster, MyDoom and Sasser, and to date, roughly 40 million customers have used these tools. Nash announced that today Microsoft is releasing a cleaner tool for the Download.Ject exploit. Customers can learn more about this new cleaner tool at http://www.microsoft.com/downloadject/.
As part of the guidance and training Microsoft provided to more than 510,000 customers and partners worldwide, Microsoft has made available in-depth prescriptive guidance, templates and checklists via the Security Guidance Kit such as the Microsoft Baseline Security Analyser (MBSA), which can be used to help identify common security misconfigurations in Windows, Internet Information Services (IIS), Microsoft SQL Server, Internet Explorer and Microsoft Office. MBSA 1.2 is used for more than 1.5 million Internet-connected scans on average each week. In addition, more than 1 million Security Guidance Kits have been provided at no charge to customers and can be ordered at the Security Guidance Centre Web site, http://www.microsoft.com/security/guidance/.
Nash also recounted the efforts with industry partners to help address consumer security as well as businesses’ security, pointing to the Protect Your PC Campaign (http://microsoft.com/protect/) where nine leading antivirus and firewall vendors have provided information and offers to help consumers be more secure. He noted the work with Internet service providers worldwide through the Global Infrastructure Alliance for Internet Safety (GIAIS) to provide consistent content and guidance to their customers. In closing, Nash reinforced Microsoft’s efforts to work with law enforcement agencies around the world to find and prosecute those who release malicious code, noting the successful efforts that led to the arrest of the Sasser suspect. More information about Microsoft and its efforts to address computer security can be found at http://www.microsoft.com/security/.

Commenting has either been disabled on this article or you are not logged in. Click here to login or register, its free!
Note: Anonymous commenting is disabled in order to keep the quality of responses to a high standard.